Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Victory Monday.
The Kickoff
Although it occurred in the first half, the sight of Mason McCormick body slamming Jared Verse would have been a fitting ending to Sunday’s 27-6 win over the Browns. McCormick was part of a unit that paved the way for 200 yards rushing and surrendered just one sack. Given the chance, they could have run for even more and I’ll get to that below.
Offense
-Jaylen Warren (17 Car 143 yds TD) and Rico Dowdle (15 Car 53 yards TD) were tremendous. They ran with authority and determination all game long. This division of labor was as close to perfect as it could get.
-The offensive line was the story. The unit has quietly worked its way to become one of the best running units in the league. The Cleveland defense which has been so solid this year was nothing more than a speed bump.
-D.K. Metcalf is a mess. I wish I could say it was as simple as “he’s in his head” and can fix it. He was wide open on a deep shot from Aaron Rodgers. He bobbled the ball and it fell into the arms of Denzel Ward for an interception. It was one of the more disastrous individual plays I’ve seen. Unless something changes drastically in the second half of the season the Steelers need to move on from him.
-Speaking of Metcalf, this constant need to throw fade routes to him has become nauseating. Rodgers’ throws are rarely on target. The plays have become literally wasted downs. One catch on six targets yesterday…
-Germie Bernard had just 30 yards on five catches but he’s proving to be a tough guy to tackle and is blocking his tail off.
-Darnell Washington (3 Rec 94 yards) is a problem for opposing defenses. Do you go low? Do you go high? Frankly it doesn’t matter. He’s a beast.
-Rodgers (13/25 172 yards INT) has now had three balls intercepted that were in the hands of his receivers. Overall, he had a decent day but the constant need to pad his stats in the red zone is costing the team points.
-I wish I knew why Pat Freiermuth was utilized more.
Defense
-Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson are playing really good football. They combined for 20 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
-Patrick Graham had a very nice gameplan Sunday. He brought some early pressure with five and six guys and other than Harold Fannin, Jr, the defense did a nice job on the receivers. The run defense has been brilliant over the last month.
-Robert Spears-Jennings has quietly been one of the biggest surprises for this team. A day three pick is not expected to have the role he’s had but don’t tell him that. He’s a Special Teams demon and collected eight overall tackles yesterday while helping to force an early fumble.
-Speaking of problems, the Steelers have actually been “OK” against opposing tight ends this year but not Sunday. Harold Fannin Jr caught 10 passes for 154 yards. He was able to get open in the zone especially to the left side of the Steelers’ defense. That HAS to get cleaned up.
-For a guy who missed a lot of time with a bad groin this week, Alex Highsmith looked like he was shot out of a cannon most of the day. Rookie Spencer Fano probably had nightmares last night. In fact, all of the EDGE rushers had really good performances on Sunday.
-Cam Heyward just keeps on coming doesn’t he? Six tackles, 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss. Pretty damn good for an old man.
Special Teams
-Is it a down year for Chris Boswell? Yes it certainly is when you look at his stats. Through eight games he’s missed five field goals. Three were from beyond 50 yards and two were beyond 40. These are kicks we expect him to make but if he starts missing the shorter ones then we have a serious problem.
Coaching
-Mike McCarthy is creating an unnecessary problem on two levels. One, is this desire to throw fades to D.K. Metcalf and two is the desire to throw fades to D.K. Metcalf deep into the Red Zone. Whether it is about Metcalf, Rodgers or both it needs to stop. The unit is leaving points on the field. Instead of 20-6, that halftime score should have been more like 28-6. Stop getting cute and stop trying to pad stats.
-Great work by whoever was paying attention in the booth on that early fumble. CBS clearly missed it and when McCarthy challenged it most fans had no idea what he was challenging.
-Hindsight is of course 20/20 but I loved the decision to do the ‘Pat Push’ at the end of the half. When you’re that close and have that kind of momentum going for it was the right move.
-Time to give some credit to James Campen and assistant Jahri Evans. The OL Coaches are doing an excellent job with this young group.
Up Next: The Steelers will get a well-deserved week off before returning in week 10 at Cincinnati and week 11 in Philadelphia.
